Contract Live is the startup that will kill the paper contract. With over 3,000 customers in 100 different countries worldwide from companies ranging from SMBs to large corporations, it had become amply obvious to Contract Live’s CEO Mathieu Lhoumeau that the US represents the next milestone for his company.

ubi i/o, a Fast-Paced Program

ubi i/o presented the perfect opportunity for Contract Live to launch its US adventure. In fact, it is already glaringly obvious to Mathieu: he will not return to France at the end of the program! According to him, ubi i/o is an extremely thorough program: daily agendas are very full and the days are long (14 to 18 hour days). Moreover, the UBIFRANCE team is formidably efficient. Going at such a high-speed, Mathieu has the impression he has done more business during this past month while in Silicon Valley than he would in 6 months in France.

Laura Elmore, a Most Remarkable Connection

Meeting Laura Elmore has been one of the connections that have most marked Mathieu. She is an “amazing woman”, who has helped the companies taking part in ubi i/o refine their pitch. It is without a doubt thanks to Laura that Contract Live won first place at SV Launch World Tech Challenge, where the jury voted Contract Live as the startup with the best presentation, clearest message, and most interesting vision.

The US: Speed And Efficiency

The motto here is efficiency. People want to seize all possible opportunities in order to improve their business and to lower costs. Obtaining business meetings here is much easier. In order to survive and be interesting, you have to be the most efficient option and have the highest competitive advantage. The pace is 5 to 10 times that of France; everything just moves much faster. For instance, people answer emails within 24 hours (it’s the norm), and decisions are made almost immediately. On the other hand, there is no room for error. Regarding management methods, Mathieu thinks that things are better defined in Silicon Valley, where it seems there is less friction between the manager and his team due to the radically different job market: if things don’t go well, then one can easily change jobs. It creates for healthier professional relationships with less drama. He is stongly considering recruiting US sales and marketing teams in the US to support the development team located back in France.

His Advice For Entrepreneurs Wishing to Develop Their Business in the US

Do it right away, do not wait and go all in, as if it were a poker game. Either go all in or don’t go at all. However, this is applicable only to web and technology.

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